NCT06650423

Brief Summary

Around 90% of breast cancer patients are diagnosed at an early stage and approximately 70% are hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-). Despite advancements in adjuvant endocrine therapy, 20-30% of early-stage breast cancer patients relapse within the first decade post-surgery. A recent clinically meaningful therapeutic option for these patients has been cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6 inhibitors). Abemaciclib and ribociclib were assessed in the adjuvant setting, both showing improvement in invasive disease-free survival (IDFS). Abemaciclib has been approved by the FDA and EMA for HR+/HER2- early breast cancer at high risk of disease recurrence and is the first addition to the Slovenian treatment regimen in routine clinical practice. Poor medication adherence can directly affect the effectiveness of treatment for early HR+/HER2- breast cancer. While adherence data in patients treated with aromatase inhibitors are available, the adherence rate in patients with early HR+/HER2- breast cancer taking abemaciclib remains unclear. In this study, investigators hypothesize that patients receiving abemaciclib in combination with aromatase inhibitors will have lower medication adherence and higher discontinuation rates compared to those receiving aromatase inhibitors alone. It is expected that patients with better quality of life, better cognitive functioning, and a more positive attitude toward their therapy will demonstrate higher medication adherence rates. Adherence may also be influenced by additional factors, such as age and prior treatments.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
319

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for all trials

Timeline
10mo left

Started Jan 2025

Typical duration for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress62%
Jan 2025Mar 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

October 16, 2024

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

October 21, 2024

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 5, 2025

Completed
2.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2027

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 1, 2027

Last Updated

March 6, 2026

Status Verified

March 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

2.2 years

First QC Date

October 16, 2024

Last Update Submit

March 4, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

breast cancermedication adherenceCDK4/6HR+HER2-aromatase inhibitorquality of lifemedication belief

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Medication adherence (Proportion of Days Covered, PDC) at Month 3

    Medication adherence measured as Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), calculated from pill count data and expressed as percentage (%). Participants with PDC ≥80% will be classified as adherent. Self-reported adherence will additionally be assessed using the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5; score range 5-25, higher scores indicate better adherence).

    Month 3 after treatment initiation

  • Medication adherence (Proportion of Days Covered, PDC) at Month 6

    Medication adherence measured as Proportion of Days Covered (PDC), calculated from pill count data and expressed as percentage (%). Participants with PDC ≥80% will be classified as adherent. Self-reported adherence will additionally be assessed using the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5; score range 5-25, higher scores indicate better adherence).

    Month 6 after treatment initiation

Secondary Outcomes (13)

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 score at Baseline

    Baseline visit

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 score at Month 3

    Month 3

  • EORTC QLQ-C30 score at Month 6

    Month 6

  • EORTC QLQ-BR23 score at Baseline

    Baseline visit

  • EORTC QLQ-BR23 score at Month 3

    Month 3

  • +8 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Aromatase inhibitor + abemaciclib

Adult women with early HR+ HER2- breast cancer, eligible for treatment with aromatase inhibitor + abemaciclib, both prescribed prior inclusion into study, irrespective of protocol, as per regular clinical practice

Aromatase inhibitor

Adult women with early HR+ HER2- breast cancer, eligible for treatment with aromatase inhibitor, prescribed prior inclusion into study, irrespective of protocol, as per regular clinical practice

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 99 Years
Sexfemale(Gender-based eligibility)
Gender Eligibility DetailsAdult women, sex at birth female
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodNon-Probability Sample
Study Population

Eligible adult women with early HR+ HER2- breast cancer patients.

You may qualify if:

  • Female,
  • Early HR+/HER-2- BC,
  • Patient is receiving adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor (letrozole, anastrozole or exemestane), with or without a CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib, for no more than 18 months,
  • Treatment of BC is being conducted at OIL,
  • Patient has mandatory health insurance through Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia,
  • Patient understands Slovenian language, and
  • Patient agrees to participate in the study and provides written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

  • Metastatic HR+/HER2-negative breast cancer
  • Previous treatment for breast cancer with an aromatase inhibitor, with or without a CDK4/6 inhibitor, for early breast cancer prior to the current adjuvant treatment line

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Institute of Oncology Ljubljana

Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia

RECRUITING

Related Publications (25)

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    PMID: 35611679BACKGROUND
  • Gao JJ, Cheng J, Bloomquist E, Sanchez J, Wedam SB, Singh H, Amiri-Kordestani L, Ibrahim A, Sridhara R, Goldberg KB, Theoret MR, Kluetz PG, Blumenthal GM, Pazdur R, Beaver JA, Prowell TM. CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, advanced or metastatic breast cancer: a US Food and Drug Administration pooled analysis. Lancet Oncol. 2020 Feb;21(2):250-260. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30804-6. Epub 2019 Dec 16.

    PMID: 31859246BACKGROUND
  • Johnston SRD, Harbeck N, Hegg R, Toi M, Martin M, Shao ZM, Zhang QY, Martinez Rodriguez JL, Campone M, Hamilton E, Sohn J, Guarneri V, Okada M, Boyle F, Neven P, Cortes J, Huober J, Wardley A, Tolaney SM, Cicin I, Smith IC, Frenzel M, Headley D, Wei R, San Antonio B, Hulstijn M, Cox J, O'Shaughnessy J, Rastogi P; monarchE Committee Members and Investigators. Abemaciclib Combined With Endocrine Therapy for the Adjuvant Treatment of HR+, HER2-, Node-Positive, High-Risk, Early Breast Cancer (monarchE). J Clin Oncol. 2020 Dec 1;38(34):3987-3998. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.02514. Epub 2020 Sep 20.

    PMID: 32954927BACKGROUND
  • Slamon D, Lipatov O, Nowecki Z, McAndrew N, Kukielka-Budny B, Stroyakovskiy D, Yardley DA, Huang CS, Fasching PA, Crown J, Bardia A, Chia S, Im SA, Ruiz-Borrego M, Loi S, Xu B, Hurvitz S, Barrios C, Untch M, Moroose R, Visco F, Afenjar K, Fresco R, Severin I, Ji Y, Ghaznawi F, Li Z, Zarate JP, Chakravartty A, Taran T, Hortobagyi G. Ribociclib plus Endocrine Therapy in Early Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 21;390(12):1080-1091. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2305488.

    PMID: 38507751BACKGROUND
  • Hershman DL, Shao T, Kushi LH, Buono D, Tsai WY, Fehrenbacher L, Kwan M, Gomez SL, Neugut AI. Early discontinuation and non-adherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy are associated with increased mortality in women with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2011 Apr;126(2):529-37. doi: 10.1007/s10549-010-1132-4. Epub 2010 Aug 28.

    PMID: 20803066BACKGROUND
  • Yussof I, Mohd Tahir NA, Hatah E, Mohamed Shah N. Factors influencing five-year adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients: A systematic review. Breast. 2022 Apr;62:22-35. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2022.01.012. Epub 2022 Jan 24.

    PMID: 35121501BACKGROUND
  • Yeo HY, Liew AC, Chan SJ, Anwar M, Han CH, Marra CA. Understanding Patient Preferences Regarding the Important Determinants of Breast Cancer Treatment: A Narrative Scoping Review. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2023 Oct 31;17:2679-2706. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S432821. eCollection 2023.

    PMID: 37927344BACKGROUND
  • Zhao M, Zhao J, Chen J, Li M, Zhang L, Luo X, Zhang Y, Xiong C, Guo Z, Yan J. The relationship between medication adherence and illness perception in breast cancer patients with adjuvant endocrine therapy: beliefs about medicines as mediators. Support Care Cancer. 2022 Dec;30(12):10009-10017. doi: 10.1007/s00520-022-07411-w. Epub 2022 Oct 20.

    PMID: 36261611BACKGROUND
  • Agostinetto E, Vian L, Caparica R, Bruzzone M, Ceppi M, Lambertini M, Ponde N, de Azambuja E. CDK4/6 inhibitors as adjuvant treatment for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. ESMO Open. 2021 Apr;6(2):100091. doi: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100091. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

    PMID: 33743330BACKGROUND
  • Barroso-Sousa R, Shapiro GI, Tolaney SM. Clinical Development of the CDK4/6 Inhibitors Ribociclib and Abemaciclib in Breast Cancer. Breast Care (Basel). 2016 Jun;11(3):167-73. doi: 10.1159/000447284. Epub 2016 Jun 22.

    PMID: 27493615BACKGROUND
  • Chan AHY, Horne R, Hankins M, Chisari C. The Medication Adherence Report Scale: A measurement tool for eliciting patients' reports of nonadherence. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020 Jul;86(7):1281-1288. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14193. Epub 2020 May 18.

    PMID: 31823381BACKGROUND
  • Horne R, Weinman J. Patients' beliefs about prescribed medicines and their role in adherence to treatment in chronic physical illness. J Psychosom Res. 1999 Dec;47(6):555-67. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3999(99)00057-4.

    PMID: 10661603BACKGROUND
  • Wagner L, Sweet J, Butt Z, Lai J, Cella D. Measuring patient self-reported cognitive function: development of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-cognitive function instrument. J Support Oncol. 2009;7(6):W32-9.

    BACKGROUND
  • Sprangers MA, Groenvold M, Arraras JI, Franklin J, te Velde A, Muller M, Franzini L, Williams A, de Haes HC, Hopwood P, Cull A, Aaronson NK. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer breast cancer-specific quality-of-life questionnaire module: first results from a three-country field study. J Clin Oncol. 1996 Oct;14(10):2756-68. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1996.14.10.2756.

    PMID: 8874337BACKGROUND
  • Giesinger JM, Kieffer JM, Fayers PM, Groenvold M, Petersen MA, Scott NW, Sprangers MA, Velikova G, Aaronson NK; EORTC Quality of Life Group. Replication and validation of higher order models demonstrated that a summary score for the EORTC QLQ-C30 is robust. J Clin Epidemiol. 2016 Jan;69:79-88. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2015.08.007. Epub 2015 Sep 28.

    PMID: 26327487BACKGROUND
  • Cancer EOfRaTo. Brussels: EORTC Brussels; 2001. Jan 01, Scoring of the QLQ-C30 Summary Score.

    BACKGROUND
  • Osoba D, Rodrigues G, Myles J, Zee B, Pater J. Interpreting the significance of changes in health-related quality-of-life scores. J Clin Oncol. 1998 Jan;16(1):139-44. doi: 10.1200/JCO.1998.16.1.139.

    PMID: 9440735BACKGROUND
  • Bakovic M, Bago M, Benic L, Krajinovic M, Silovski T, Plavetic ND, Turkovic L, Sertic M, Hadziabdic MO. Exploring adherence in patients with advanced breast cancer: focus on CDK4/6 inhibitors. Acta Pharm. 2023 Dec 26;73(4):633-654. doi: 10.2478/acph-2023-0045. Print 2023 Dec 1.

    PMID: 38147481BACKGROUND
  • Loucks J, Zuckerman AD, Berni A, Saulles A, Thomas G, Alonzo A. Proportion of days covered as a measure of medication adherence. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2022 Mar 7;79(6):492-496. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxab392. No abstract available.

    PMID: 34637496BACKGROUND
  • Burnier M. Is There a Threshold for Medication Adherence? Lessons Learnt From Electronic Monitoring of Drug Adherence. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Jan 9;9:1540. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01540. eCollection 2018.

    PMID: 30687099BACKGROUND
  • Yang S, Park SW, Bae SJ, Ahn SG, Jeong J, Park K. Investigation of Factors Affecting Adherence to Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients: A Comprehensive Systematic Review. J Breast Cancer. 2023 Aug;26(4):309-333. doi: 10.4048/jbc.2023.26.e22. Epub 2023 May 10.

    PMID: 37272247BACKGROUND

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast NeoplasmsMedication Adherence

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neoplasms by SiteNeoplasmsBreast DiseasesSkin DiseasesSkin and Connective Tissue DiseasesPatient CompliancePatient Acceptance of Health CareTreatment Adherence and ComplianceHealth BehaviorBehavior

Study Officials

  • Erika Matos, PhD

    Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Slovenia

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Erika Matos, PhD

CONTACT

Cvetka Grašič Kuhar, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

October 16, 2024

First Posted

October 21, 2024

Study Start

January 5, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Last Updated

March 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations